Monday, December 21, 2009

The San Antonio Spurs shoot for their 14th straight win over the Los Angeles Clippers when the two teams meet at the AT&T Center on Monday night.

The Spurs opened a three-game homestand on Saturday with a thrilling 100-99 win over Indiana. Tim Duncan scored 19 points, pulled down 16 rebounds, and his dunk with 4.6 seconds left in that one lifted San Antonio to the win, giving Spurs mentor Gregg Popovich his 700th career regular season win.

Tony Parker added 15 points, Keith Bogans 14 and Manu Ginobili 13 for the Spurs, who have won two straight and five of their last six games. George Hill had 12 points and Richard Jefferson 10 for the Spurs, who are now a gaudy 12-1 against teams with a .500 or lower record.

Roy Hibbert's tip-in off a T.J. Ford miss moved the Pacers to a 99-98 edge with 1:12 left, but Indiana couldn't take advantage of misses by the Spurs. Duncan was off the mark on a layup and a jumper, while Ginobili missed a three-ball, all in the same possession.

Ford missed a shot at the other end and the Spurs called timeout with 10.2 seconds left to set up a final play. Duncan got the ball in low, but the attempt was blocked by Hibbert before the All-Star cleaned up his own mess with a jam.

"I wanted to try and take it to the glass and see what happens," said Duncan. "Hibbert made a very good defensive play. It came right back to me, a little bit of luck. I'll take it."

The Clippers, meanwhile, improved to 2-1 on a six-game road trip on Saturday when Philadelphia native Rasual Butler netted seven of his 18 points in overtime, as the Clippers survived a near buzzer-beater in regulation to beat the 76ers, 112-107.

With the score tied, 99-99, the Sixers' Andre Iguodala had his shot from the top of the key waived off after instant replay revealed the ball was still on his fingertips as the time expired.

"I think that it did have something to do with it. We are only human," Sixers head coach Eddie Jordan said, referring to the Sixers' lackadaisical effort in OT after thinking they had the win. "[LA] had a little juice from the defensive side."

Chris Kaman logged 24 points and 11 rebounds before fouling out in regulation, while Baron Davis chipped in 20 points and 13 assists for Los Angeles, which has won three of its last four.

LA hasn't beaten San Antonio since a 98-85 win on March 7, 2006 in Hollywood. To make things a little more symmetrical the Clips are also sporting a 13-game skid in San Antonio and haven't won in the Alamo City since a 91-87 triumph on Jan. 31, 2002.

Overall, San Antonio has absolutely dominated the series, winning 41 of the last 45 matchups between the two clubs.

Nelson hasn't played since he tore the meniscus in his left knee on November 16 in a win against Charlotte. He underwent an arthroscopic procedure two days later and missed the next 16 games.

In 11 starts this year, Nelson is averaging 13.7 points, 5.5 assists and 3.1 rebounds per contest. The Saint Joseph's product also missed the majority of the second half of last season with a shoulder injury.

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Chris Bosh had 27 points and Hedo Turkoglu added a season-high 23 to lead the Toronto Raptors in a 101-88 victory over the Houston Rockets. Jarrett Jack totaled 17 points, eight rebounds and eight assists for Toronto, which had lost back-to-back games on the heels of a three-game win streak. Andrea Bargnani chipped in 14 points and Sonny Weems 11 in the win. Carl Landry paced Houston with 25 points and Luis Scola scored 21 with 15 rebounds. Aaron Brooks checked in with 20 points for Houston, which had won two straight and five of six coming into the game.

Final Score: Atlanta 130, New Jersey 107

Atlanta, GA (Sports Network) - Joe Johnson had 21 points and 10 assists as the Atlanta Hawks crushed the New Jersey Nets, 130-107, at Philips Arena. Maurice Evans had 22 points and nine rebounds while Al Horford chipped in 16 points and nine rebounds for the Hawks, who have won four straight. Josh Smith added 16 points and eight boards and Jamal Crawford had 13 points and five assists. Devin Harris had 23 points and nine assists while Brook Lopez added 19 points and 12 boards for the Nets, who have dropped their past three games. Terrence WIlliams had 18 points and seven rebounds in the loss.